$1000-$1500 Treadmills

Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill Review

The Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill is an excellent and very popular choice of treadmill. With a high horse power motor that can take a pummelling, an incline range of up to 12 and (currently) a very reasonable price tag, it is clear to see why this is such a popular treadmill.

Review

The two things that really stand out with the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill are it’s incredibly sleek looks (it looks as if it has come from the future), and its very powerful motor that comes with a guarantee. The motor has 3.0 horsepower motor that is amongst the the most powerful found in any commercial home treadmill. And it is not only the motor that is powerful; the whole machine is built to withstand any punishment that heavy runners might give it.

The Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill has a standard grip heart rate monitor, which will allow you to keep track of your heart rate while you run your workout. However, these kinds of heart rate monitors are not always accurate (saying that, I use them all the time and find them to be more or less spot on) and you might want to consider buying a separate chest strap heart rate monitor. These come at around $30.

What’s really impressive about this treadmill is the speed range that it offers. It has 10 speed options and offers enough speed for professional runners to train on. The only person who might find themselves running off it is a certain Mr Bolt. Add this with an incline range of up to 12 percent and you’ll really have a challenging run with this treadmill.
The Bowflex Series 7 is a very heavy treadmill – you are going to really struggle to move it room to room by yourself. But this could be seen as a proof of its high quality build. The weight shows that it won’t get broken too easily, and as soon as you’ve set it up in your home, you won’t have to worry about its weight anymore and you’ll be able to focus more on your own weight.

The Sole F80 Treadmill (2011 Model) is a fairly expensive treadmill – but it comes packed with features (not all of which are useful – speakers?) and is made to a very high quality, that means it will likely last you a lot longer than a cheaper treadmill. It is the ideal first treadmill for a home user, as it is remarkably user friendly, but it will suit hardened runners too.

Warranties: Lifetime on motor, deck, and frame; 5 years on electronics, belt, rollers, and other wear components; 2 years on labor

Sole F80 Treadmill (2011 Model) Review

This is a pretty expensive treadmill for most – but at the same time it is a bargain if you are a keen runner after a great treadmill and have the money. I bought this Treadmill from Amazon and at the time saved 500 dollars (check if offer still on). Delivery was pretty quick and I was very happy on arrival. Then of course comes putting it together. This was actually easier than I thought it would be – took me and my partner just over an hour and a half to do (hint: we made it in the room we wanted it in, and got the delivery guys to take it there. It is moveable but not by 1 person, and two adult males would be ideal).

This is a fold down treadmill that only requires a quick push to get it to automatically fall down (slowly!) to the floor. The actual treadmill feels very solid beneath your feet but is pretty absorbent so it should’t hurt your joints too much.

To get started there are preset speed/incline/decline buttons on the side – however I don’t often run at these speeds, I like to go up a little down a little, faster, slower, but not always by the same difference – and you cannot define what these buttons do. That is actually a little annoying to me, but I guess it might be good for novices. Also, whilst I am talking about niggling problems – going from one speed to another takes a long long time. I imagine that this is a safety feature, as most cheaper treadmills do not have this, but it is also a bit of a pain.

The LCD screen is awesome, and you will not find one as big or clear on many cheaper models. It comes with a speaker system that you can plug your music player into and boom out some tunes as you run. However, the speakers are not great. They are very tinny and you are probably better off with either ear phones or a separate speaker system/tv/radio. Forget the speakers – enjoy the LCD screen!

There are two ways to measure your heart rate on this – Either on the hand grips or by a wireless chest strap (a lot like most heart rate monitors). It is not uncomy but for some reason I do not like to use it often – I think I just like to be able to breath easy without anything strapped around me.

The noise level is reasonably low and it has a high enough power level to ensure I get no where near to it. Is also has a “cushion deck” that reduces impact up to 40 percent as compared to running on asphalt and a host of other features as listed above. I have no idea if it makes that much difference but I have had no injuries so far, so that is good news!

Conclusion

If you have the money, it is a solid choice, has enough features for old and new runners alike, and as well as having a great warranty, it is made well enough to last you many happy/sweaty years.